Abstract: A position recognition method wherein the photographic image of an object having a concavity or convexity defined therein is converted into specified feature space data; detection is performed to determine whether the specified feature space data possessed by each elementary area of the converted image has a symmetric relation with one possessed by another elementary area with a virtual center of the concavity or convexity being the center of symmetry; and the position of the concavity or convexity of the object is recognized based on the detection.

Abstract: A crankshaft miller is constructed by providing two cutter units movably in a longitudinal direction of a work between a pair of work heads provided on a bed and supporting both ends of the work. A cutter for machining a main journal and a first resting device are provided in one of the pair of cutter units. A pitch of the cutter for machining a main journal and the first resting device is selected such that when a counterweight is machined by the cutter for machining a main journal, a main journal which is located adjacent a counterweight forming a pair with the counterweight is clamped by the first resting device. A cutter for machining a pin journal and a second resting device are provided in the other of the pair of cutter. A pitch of the cutter for machining a pin journal and the second resting device is selected such that when a pin journal is machined by means of the cutter for machining a pin journal, the main journal adjacent the pin journal is clamped by the second resting device.

Abstract: A malfunction signal indicating that a laser device is malfunctioning is output from a misfire detector when the oscillation of a laser beam is detected by a laser oscillation detector in an event that no laser oscillation command is detected by a laser oscillation command detector. Another malfunction signal indicating that the laser device is malfunctioning is output from the malfunction detector when no oscillation of a laser beam is detected by the laser oscillation detector at a prescribed time after a laser oscillation command has been detected by the laser oscillation command detector. The troubled part (thyratron or charging circuit) in the laser device is located based on the detection results of the malfunction detector.

Abstract: A fluid heating apparatus in which a heating unit (2) and a fluid supply adjusting unit (3) are accommodated in a casing in a manner separated from each other and connected through a flow-in tube (8) and a flow-out tube (9) and the fluid supply adjusting unit (3) is arranged vertically upward and downward on the side of the heating unit (2).

Abstract: The ambulatory robot is provided with front legs and rear legs that are constituted so that the lengths from the origins of the front legs and the rear legs to their terminal portions can be varied. In walking, the front legs and the rear legs are rotated and the lengths of the front legs and the rear legs are changed so that the front legs are raised from the ground surface while the rear legs are maintained in contact with the ground. Then, the front legs and the rear legs are rotated and the lengths of the legs are changed so that the front legs raised from the ground surface are replaced on the ground in the direction of ambulation and the rear legs that were maintained in contact with the ground are raised from the ground surface. Then, the front legs and the rear legs rotate and the lengths of the legs change so that the rear legs so raised from the ground surface are replaced on the ground in the direction of ambulation.

Abstract: A lubricating structure for a wheel driving apparatus in which a wheel hub (7) is rotatably supported by a wheel mounting body (1). An output side of a hydraulic motor (31) is attached to the mounting body and is coupled to a drive shaft (6) which is engageably inserted into a shaft bore (50) of the wheel mounting body. The drive shaft is coupled to the wheel hub via a reduction gear mechanism (10) and a clutch mechanism (11), and a braking mechanism (37) is mounted between the wheel hub and the wheel mounting body. The lubricating structure is characterized in that an annular space (51), formed between the shaft bore and the drive shaft, communicates via individual lubricable portions with a lubricant oil inlet (103) and a peripheral port (55). Also, the lubricant oil is supplied from the lubricant oil inlet and is discharged from the port.

Abstract: There is provided a plasma arc welding method, characterized in that a portion of a front side workpiece material is heated and melted by a plasma arc to form a molten pool thereat, that the molten pool is held not to fall or drop under a surface tension acting thereto and is brought into contact with a portion of a rear side workpiece material under a pressure which is exerted by the plasma arc and/or a shielding gas, further that the portion of the said rear workpiece material is brought into a molten state by a thermal conduction thereto so that the two workpiece materials may be welded together, and that a swirling flow is imparted to a plasma gas of the plasma arc. There is also provided a plasma welding apparatus for using the above mentioned plasma arc welding method, characterized in that the apparatus comprises: a plasma torch which has a plasma flushing outlet for swirling and flushing a plasma gas of the plasma arc around an electrode therefor.

Abstract: There is provided a plasma arc welding apparatus which comprises a plasma torch and a spacing retention member which is securely fixed to the plasma torch and whose frontal end is located between a frontal end of the plasma torch and a weld workpiece and is adapted to be pressed against the workpiece while the latter is being welded. There is also provided a plasma arc welding method which makes use of a plasma arc welding apparatus that comprises a plasma torch and a spacing retention member which is securely fixed to a base of the plasma torch and whose frontal end is located between a frontal end of the plasma torch and a welding workpiece, in which method the frontal end of the spacing retention member is pressed against the workpiece while the latter is being welded.

Abstract: There is provided a method of working a crankshaft wherein a first cutter for simultaneously working an outer peripheral surface of a pin or journal of the crankshaft and a side surface of a counter weight disposed adjacent to the outer peripheral surface is mounted to one of two cutter heads of a crankshaft mill. A second cutter is provided for forming an R groove on the pin or journal. The second cutter is mounted to the other one of the cutter heads. The outer peripheral surfaces of the pin or the journal and the side surface of the counter weight adjacent to the outer peripheral surface are simultaneously worked by the first cutter, and thereafter, the R groove is formed on the pin or the journal by the second cutter.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display for a laser marker for attaining a higher marking speed, characterized in that a liquid crystal display screen (10) is divided into a first zone (10a) where a sub-scanning is first performed and a second zone (10b) where a sub-scanning is performed following the first zone (10a) sub-scanning, that switching of display is performed independently for each of the first and second zones (10a, 10b), and predetermined voltages are applied, respectively, to row and column electrodes after those row and column electrodes are grounded, whereby display switching processing can be performed independently for each of the first and second zones. Completion of the sub-scanning of the first zone (10a) is detected by a position detecting means, and when such a detection is done, switching of display in the first zone (10a) is independently performed.

Abstract: A shock-absorbing device, suitable for use with an idler for a crawler belt, contains a spring box (10) having a flange (12) secured at one end and a bracket (13) secured at the other end, with an annular partition wall (11) extending radially inwardly from a central portion of the wall of the bore of the spring box (10) to form a first spring chamber (16) and a second spring chamber (17) spaced apart along the length of the spring box (10). A first spring (23) and a first spring pushing member (20) are installed in the first spring chamber (16), and a second spring (33) and a second spring pushing member (30) are installed in the second spring chamber (17).

Abstract: A workload detecting system for an excavating and loading apparatus, in which a bucket supporting member is vertically pivoted relative to a vehicle body and a bucket is actuated to be tilted with respect to the bucket supporting member. The system includes a bottom pressure detecting system (17) for detecting a bottom pressure of a cylinder (6) for vertically pivoting the bucket supporting member (5, 7), a, bucket earth and sand amount calculating system (18) for calculating an earth and sand weight within the bucket (9) on the basis of the detected bottom pressure, and a bucket earth and sand amount calculating summing system (31) for integrating the calculated bucket earth and sand weight.

Abstract: A collision preventing system for a vehicle has a brake system. The system includes first preview sensor detecting an obstacle in front of the vehicle in a first distal detection zone to produce a first signal indicative of presence of the obstacle and distance between the obstacle and the front end of the vehicle, and a second preview sensor detecting the obstacle in front of the vehicle in a second proximal detection zone to produce a second signal indicative of at least presence of the obstacle. The system further includes third vehicle speed sensor detecting vehicular traveling speed and generating a vehicle speed indicative signal. A control unit is connected to the first and second preview sensor for receiving the first and second signals.

Abstract: An object is to perform controlling operation always accurately to eliminate a spiking phenomenon generated in a laser device. In an output controller (6), excitation intensity data causing energies of continual pulses to be set to have a desired identical value is previously stored in association with the respective continual pulses. In an output monitor (5), the energies of the oscillated pulses are detected. And detected values of energies of pulses in a continual pulse oscillation already done are compared with a desired pulse energy value and previously-stored charging voltages associated with the respective pulses are corrected in the output controller (6) on the basis of the comparison result. When the present invention is applied to control of an output of a light source in an aligner, an accuracy of control of exposure light can be remarkabley improved.

Abstract: An earth discharge control system for a small-diameter pipe propelling machine controls the excavated earth discharging operation of the small-diameter pipe propelling machine. The small-pipe propelling machine propels a small-diameter pipe (2) joined at its leading end to a leading pipe (1) into the ground by a propelling unit (3) installed in a starting shaft (4). Earth excavated by a cutting head (8) supported on the leading end of the leading pipe (1) is conveyed toward the starting shaft (4) by a screw conveyor (6) disposed within the small-diameter pipe (1). A pneumatically operated control valve (10) is disposed in combination with a portion of the screw conveyor (6) within the leading pipe (1).

Abstract: When a longitudinal straight traveling mode position A, an oblique traveling mode position B, a transverse traveling mode position C, or spin turning mode position D is selected by a traveling mode changeover switch 21, a signal corresponding to the selection is input to a controller 27. The controller outputs signals to turning actuators 15a and 15b for orienting driving wheels 11a and 11b toward the selected position. With this signal, the turning actuators 15a and 15b cause turning of the driving wheels 11a and 11b. At the same time, turning angle detection sensors 16a and 16b input signal indicative of turning angle of the driving wheels. When the turning angle becomes coincident with a preliminarily set angle, a signal for terminating turning is output to the turning actuators 15a and 15b. By this control, turning action of the turning actuators 15a and 15b is terminated with setting the driving wheels 11a and 11b at the position of the selected orientation.

Abstract: A blank-figure constructing method for sheet metal work, wherein a cutting passage planned to sequentially cut a plurality of desired blanks from a sheet material is determined, utilizing a multiple figure composed of the figures of the plurality of blanks to be obtained, in the multiple figure of which the adjacent line segments of the single blank figures are combined. This method is that if the multiple figure has an even number of, four or more odd vertices at each of which an odd number of internal and external line segments of the multiple figure meet, an auxiliary line is drawn outside the multiple figure, connecting any two of the odd vertices on the outline of the multiple figure to make the total number of odd vertices be two or zero so that the cutting passage, which passes through all the internal, external line segments and auxiliary line of the multiple figure, can be determined.

Abstract: There is provided a displacement control system for a variable displacement hydraulic pump which has a displacement control piston assembly (6) having a large diameter chamber (7) for operating a displacement control member (5) of the variable displacement hydraulic pump selectively in a direction of smaller displacement and in a direction of larger displacement, first control valve (8) and second control valve (9) for selectively communicating the large diameter chamber of the displacement control piston assembly with a pump discharge line and a tank, the first control valve being placed at a supply position by the pump discharge pressure, and at a drain position by a spring associated with the displacement control piston assembly via a feedback lever, and the second control valve being placed at a first position by the pump discharge pressure for communicating the pump port and the large diameter chamber and at a second position by a load pressure for communicating the pump port and the large diameter chamb

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting an amount of metal powder in a hydraulic circuit for supplying a drain pressurized oil from a hydraulic pump driven by an engine is characterized by comprising a metal powder amount detection sensor (9) disposed in a flow passage of the pressurized oil and adapted to transmit a signal in proportion to an adhering amount of the metal powder and a controller (11) for calculating the metal powder amount from the signal outputted from the metal powder detection sensor and displaying the calculated amount.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a plasma cutting method and an NC plasma cutting apparatus in which an improvement can be made in the quality of a bore-cut product obtained by using a transferred plasma arc, and the productive efficiency can also be enhanced. In order to achieve the above-described advantages, the transferred plasma arc is switched to a non-transferred plasma arc at a position immediately before a cutting finishing point and in the vicinity of a position at which cutting lines cross each other. Simultaneously with this switching operation, the moving speed of the plasma torch is varied in accordance with a change in the plasma arc current. Additionally, the transferred plasma arc current is reduced at a position immediately before the cutting finishing point and in the vicinity of a position at which cutting lines cross each other. The moving speed of the plasma torch can be varied in accordance with the reduction in the arc current.